Art and Crafts Outside - Family Life

This post is meant to correlate to a previous post I wrote, regarding gardening ideas. I mean what better way to spend quality time with your kids while it’s also an educational piece, if not when gardening. 

I don’t think I’ve met a child under the age of 10 who doesn’t like playing with dirt - oh who are we kidding I don’t believe any of us ever get tired of playing with dirt! With that being said why not spend some time with your kids outdoors by having them help you garden. Teach them about the plants that you’re planting, have them help you in fixing the planters and placing the plants in each planter, to fill them with water after putting the necessary plant feed, then fixing their location where they are to grow. Kids are hungry for attention but they’re hungrier for the compliments/satisfactory praise from their parents especially knowing that they’ve accomplished something and have it to show for. You can even make it into a multiple part activity, like I did for my daughters.

Part one was to literally have a shopping trip with my daughters to gather all of the supplies with some brainstorming creative ideas for the planters and future gardening expansion. Part two involved picking an afternoon with nice weather to be able to spend the afternoon with the tasks. Made sure my daughters were in comfy and athletic clothes without concern of getting dirty or messed up (while still looking cute of course :p ). I was happy that I managed to pick the perfect day to plant and be outside with them and the entire time it was smiles, laughing, and playing with dirt! Although I’ll admit that I didn’t think the entire arts and crafts portion, this part make sure you do before the planting of your plants :) Our part three entailed the official arts and crafts time and it was on a separate day. Even if they weren’t as actively participating in this part as they were in part two, they still did some painting, drawing,  and spent more time outdoors with mommy. 

So always remember that even the smallest of moments with your kiddos making them laugh and smile will be their memories for a lifetime… 

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman

Family and You - Family Life/Relationships

Have you ever bothered to ask someone if they’re family oriented or if they’re close to their family? It’s always interesting for me to hear their explanation and also notice when their verbal claim contradicts their actions in life. Its something interesting to find in passing with friendships but I find it extremely fascinating to observe when the answers provided are by those you’re dating/becoming seriously involved with. If you haven’t, then just broach this conversation with someone and see where it leads…

Now for the purpose of this post :) For starters are you a “Family Oriented” person or are you a person that was brought up in a “close knit family like upbringing” or are you “dedicated to family.” I know what you’re thinking, is there a difference and why so many options; probably didn’t even think that there was more than two options. In case you’re wondering what the difference is, allow me to elaborate a little by how I personally define the differences and how google defines it. Actually, we shall begin with how Google defines “close knit family” - bound together by intimate social or cultural ties or by close economic or political ties. My definition goes like this - a family that congregates (whether by blood relation or extended family) on major holidays, family as well as life emergencies, social events, and that have a close or semi close relation in communication daily or at least weekly/monthly depending on personal lives. Where there may be gaps in the timeframe of communication but you can easily just pick up where you last left off. Google defines “family oriented” as - the family that you were born into and/or someone who has their family at the heart of all that they do and all the decisions that they make. My definition goes like this - the family your born into by blood/adoption who you communicate with either once a week (as a minimum) or possibly daily as a (maximum); that you don’t just see them for major holidays and family functions/events but for every birthday/anniversary and family gathering. Google defines “dedicated to family” as - committing yourself to family and everything your family entails, where you’re meaning of life and purpose, is to surround yourself with family. My definition goes a little like this - where you main purpose and way of life is specifically surrounded around the family and all that it entails, even if it puts your own social/personal life on hold or at risk, because the individual is more committed to the family ties then to create new “family ties” of their own, outside of their family unit. 

So why, you may ask, am I even writing about this? Well, a few weeks ago (as well as about a few months back in another occurrence) there was a conversation at the dinner table amongst family members (I know the irony) about how the family unit in society today has changed from what it once was, when my uncles and parents were younger. Obviously, as the years pass so do the fads and phases of social teachings but what typically remains key to progress and adults in the world is their upbringing or the kind of exposure they have with/to their family. Pretty much up until my sister and I, some ways of life have changed amongst our family. For example, my parents and their siblings didn’t go out of their state and/or city for their college/university education per say - during their times their parents deemed that to be unnecessary regardless of the many benefits/scholarships and advantageous possibilities for their own futures; simply just unheard of in addition to life circumstances to not having the financial possibility. Well what about scholarships and student loans, you may ask, yes even regardless of two of my uncles having full rides for their academic careers there was more concern for external variables and them being away from home than their future careers. Which brings us to the example of my cousins currently, where my dad’s brother’s kids all stayed local except for one (the oldest) and my mom’s sisters children are definitely doing outside our family norm because not only are they both going out of town for their schooling, they’re staying/have stayed in the dorms along with the oldest not even living in the same state for his master’s degree; he’s literally across the nation! Another example towards the content of the conversation had at the dinner table was about dating and when you’re involved in a serious relationship. Obviously circumstantial variables play into these next few statements like single parents/parenting, perhaps you’re the caretaker of your elderly parents, etc - those are the circumstantial variables I’m referring to, which are all understandable variables as well.

If you’re dating someone yet you’re making your family more important than the person you’re trying to get serious with, then what gives that person you’re seeing the notion or hope that they will ever become just as important to you as your family. There’s a difference between being brought into someone’s circle and being hopeful that you’ll be creating a new circle with that person altogether. Yes love is not fragile, its understanding, and the many other wonderful virtues but to help nurture the “love” you have to give the person the “feeling” of appreciation with the hope their your time will soon be their time, not that they will always be put on the back burner-this applies to both male and females by the way. Please don’t try to dissect my statement as there is nothing hidden between the lines, just making observational statements. How can you expect someone to make you important in their lives if you don’t make the attempt to make them feel important in your life, or at least to be considered important in your life. Yes, open communication about things that occur with family will be appreciated and go a long way but also not jumping ship on plans you’ve made with your significant other because of family (outside of family emergencies) is a little dumb-founding and questionable. Always imagine how you would feel if the tables were turned; women tend to say when annoyed, “every time mommy calls he stops what we’re doing and we have to do what his mom needs even if it’s something simple like going to the store to pick up something. It’s not like she’s needing it at that moment!” Or I’ve heard the comments made by men, “I can appreciate and value how family oriented she is but I feel like we can’t do anything together if it’s not around her family all the time. I don’t mind it sometimes but not all the time and at every occasion, how else am I supposed to learn about her personally if it’s always in a group setting and it’s not focused undivided attention.”

I personally see myself as “an evolved family oriented” person (to my sister it’s what she likes to call “Americanized Hispanic”). I thoroughly enjoy my family when we come together and at the family/social functions however, I’m of the mindset of limitations towards how much family time is involved. Birthday’s for little ones up until the 18th birthday are nice however thereafter I’m of the mindset to ask the person what they want to do for their birthday not force a full family gathering for it, every birthday automatically. The older/elderly is a nice treat for them to still have the family gathering so obviously that’s a yes for me. I do not believe in celebrating anniversaries together as a family unless it’s those major numbers unless the couple is wanting to involve the family at their discretion. A prime example for me is Christmas and New Years, where my family is used to being together almost every day from Christmas Eve until New Year’s Day. I think that’s lovely every other year or every couple of years, but literally to do that every year - yea I don’t think I can do that or at least give me the option of New Year’s Eve without family or family plan…I think I shall digress now…

I suppose, if you are to take anything away from this post it’s about some self reflection on what type of “family” person are you?

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman

Gardening Ideas or Your Outdoor Space - General

Whether you like to garden/plant on a budget or perhaps are looking for an inexpensive activity with many fruitful effects this post is for you! 

This has been something I’ve been doing since the spring of 2019 and it’s been working like a charm, not only from the perspective of my wallet but also that of “family activity time” as well as “gardening”. I remembered when I was little that my grandfather (on my moms side) had a beautiful backyard that had a wide variety of flowers and bushes. I use to think to myself, especially considering how peaceful his yard seemed, that one day I would love to create my own serene garden but hopefully also do some vegetation or herbs. In case your wondering no I don’t have some large backyard (yet) but I came to realize during the winter of 2018, that your “serene garden” isn’t limited to the square footage or space, its what you make of it. So I took the time to measure my large patio space so that I could figure out what how to make the most of the space since I had plenty of time to purchase items and really envision the space I wanted. The point I want you to understand at this point of the post, is that I was making use of the time prior to spring 2019 arriving. Take the time to envision and create your space/garden because as my grandfather used to tell me in his garden, the plants also need love and attention so if you don’t give the area love and a nurturing feeling your plants won’t thrive. Well when this commencement of thought process began for my garden, we (my daughters and I) were living in a three bedroom apartment home that had this lovely patio entrance, in addition to the main door entrance. The image below shows the main living area in front of the kitchen space, that’s where the patio entrance from the exterior was. So what I was envisioning was a space that would allow me to see/hear my children play while I was in the kitchen, a place that would be fun for my girls while being a place of relaxation for me, something outdoors that would allow delicious and soothing fragrances, a place of entertaining visitors, and most of all a place where I could possibly sit down to look/listen to the storms that rolled in (or perhaps enjoy the outdoor sounds while being inside the home.) With that mental visualization of the space, I was able to begin brainstorming on the types of plants I would be planting. Obviously being a single mom since then, budgeting is always something I’m conscientious about, so these ideas are price efficient :) In case you’re worried about that.

I had budgeted a total of $800 for my patio idea…so I began with what I thought would be the most expensive, the patio furniture (which I still have to this day and continue to re-use in this new home we’ve been in). Contrary to online furniture buying phobias many have, I was and continue to be successful in my online purchases through Amazon. I bought my patio set of two rocker chairs with a loveseat bench and all their cushions, in addition to an end table-all for $396.72 (that’s includes the shipping on Amazon Prime). In case you’re wondering there are still some good patio sets online for that price even if mine was purchased back in 2019. The apartment home did have it’s patio light but it wasn’t LED and it was an awful bright light that served it’s purposes to shed light but didn’t help in mood or just enjoying the outdoor space, so I ended up purchasing all the outdoor LED lighting (yes that I can and have re-purposed still today); pendant lights to hang (a total o four of them) and these two string lights that I ended up wrapping around the little fence area posts - all for a total cost of $89.98 (all lights were purchased from Amazon). The outdoor lighting was all wireless (battery operated and came with a remote) and considering that they weren’t plugged in and I used the lights almost every night during the nice weather and storms, battery life was considerably surprising to me. $18 a piece for the stone pieces (purchased from Home Depot) for the entrance of the gate and $10 for the door entrance mat (from Wal-Mart). $118.72 for the plants and planters, but they were from two different locations; all planters were purchased from Wal-Mart (a total of 10) along with four small cilantro plants, two rosemary plants, and four small sweet mints. The reason for the purchase of these specific small plants at Wal-Mart was because these plants thrive and grow quickly if done right so it’s not about purchasing a large plant but finding the best ones TO plant; they’re also way less expensive :) You see, the small plants can all be planted together and in doing so their roots will all expand nicely into the planters and provide you quick new “buds” or extensions of their branches, in turn giving you a very “full” or “bushy” plant in your planter. The more you cut and use them, the quicker it grows and replenishes as well. I digress and move on…Three plant food packages, two large lavender plants, two lemon-thyme plants, two lemongrass plants, a small cherry tomato plant, and a small jalapeño plant - were all purchased at Home Depot along with the one large bag of All Purpose Garden Soil. Then at Ollies, I found this great square artificial turf mat (with the idea of myself or the girls ever just wanting to sit down on the ground) that was mold resistant and could get wet and be used for outdoors.  

Why you may ask the garden soil and not the vegetation soil or whatever other special soil, I’m not sure except to answer that question with, my grandfather proved to me that special soil was never required for his plants so I continued with that belief and rule (instead of also dishing out more money for the soil) and observed how my “green thumb” would be. So this soil has been doing wonders and working quite well for me for all my plants since! And yes I still use that soil today with my plants. All that being said, the grand total of it all comes out to be $711.22. 

Also in case you were wondering why I chose those specific plants, here’s the reason why :) First off I’m sure everyone can agree to hating mosquitos or bugs of any kind entering your home, yet you’re wanting to enjoy the outdoors or the ability to have the screen door/mesh only at your entrance doors. Lavender, lemongrass, lemon-thyme, sweet mint, and rosemary are the most poignant natural mosquito repellants-so if you have those planted as closest to your entry doors you eliminate those pesky flying bugs from entering into your domain, especially if you get into the habit of slightly “petting” or rubbing on those plants every time you open the doors. I have confirmed to this day that wherever I’ve lived no annoying mosquito’s have affected the three of us! Also all the plants I’ve chosen can be used for cooking as well as creating herbal teas (whether hot or cold). 

This brings me to the right here and right now, Spring 2022 where I now do have a yard but haven’t created the backyard “paradise” that I want yet…however I have started on my plants. $63.84 got me the image you see below; four planters, two packages of plant food, one large bag of soil, three lemon thymes, one rosemary, one lavender, and three cilantro plants. It’s a start for one door entry and since those were all planted on April 9th, I’ve been able to cook and make plenty of things since with them since they’re growing like weeds. You’ll see when it comes to my next post ;) 

Once I start the backyard creation I’ll also let you know how that goes and what ways I was able to save for that!

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman

Spring Photo Ideas - General

It’s almost time! We’ve already “sprung forward” in time and it’s official, today marks the first day of Spring! 🤗 which reminds me, have you heard about our government trying to revert back to the way things originally were back in the day when there wasn’t such a thing as “spring forward and fall back” for time? If you didn’t know then go take a look on Google and take a read. Anyway I digress-back to the point of this post!

Depending obviously on your region and state/city you may already be experiencing some great spring weather! If you haven’t don’t worry it’s literally around the corner for you and gives you some prep planning on where you can take some great photos! First off, if you wanna go “pro” then you can do your research on some local photographers that are reasonably priced; can always use Thumbstack or your local listings to find some. Otherwise ask around to see what you may find or you can go with the second option (even though it does go against my fiber to mention since I have my photography business but hey whatever makes the best memories right 😉). If you can’t afford one, use one of your better cameras whether that’s an actual digital camera or perhaps the one on your phone. I suggest if it’s the one on the phone than it’s either the last two models in the Samsung (Android family) or the iPhone 12 Pro or higher version. Then make sure to pick a location with lots of greenery or florals around. Try Tulip Gardens, arboretums, wildlife ranches/museums, or even a great trail entry (you don’t want to go to deep otherwise you’ll be sweating in your photos 😋 unless that’s the look your going for). 

Once you’ve picked your spot then those wonderful smart phones or third party apps can let you edit as you need to, for the picture to be to your liking. But please, when you can seek out your fellow photographer especially when they love to creat this especial Kodak moments for you.

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman

Uppababy - Family Life

Before I begin, no I’m not being paid to advertise for the Uppababy brand or products, but I do feel compelled to write about them!

First off, I’m not going to lie and tell you that the products are cheap because they are most definitely not! It is one heck of a brand and worth the investment that’s for sure, for more than one reason as well. Secondly, they have items/products for newborns to pretty good size toddlers and yes newborns even include the premises. My parent’s did help me in purchasing the stroller set in 2016 (which was close to $700+ and that wasn’t even including the tax) and at the time it was pretty expensive but now I believe it’s more. I’ll have to google and check that out by the time I finish this blog.

My ex-husband knew it was the brand I was also more comfortable with for the car seat and safety (he gave his own approval as well at the time) so we purchased the car base and car seat. The car seat works as an attachment to the actual stroller which is convenient and SO its lightweight/functional to use, not only for a first time mom but also for a mom in recovery from post-delivery. I won’t also won’t lie by saying there are no other strollers that can compare, because there are but there aren’t. It depends on the use and purpose of your baby equipment and if you’re asking yourself what I mean, allow me to explain. There are some other lightweight strollers, strollers that can be easily “folded” to accommodate a mom not being able to carry/lift heavy things outside of their baby; then there’s the strollers that are large and bulky but functional for everything to be stored in it but not small enough to fit anywhere in a vehicle. Whereas you have some interesting combo strollers that are actually part of the car seat, you just have to wait until you detach the car seat from it’s base so that it transforms into the portable stroller. The reason why I highly recommend the lighter and fully functional Uppababy stroller (because they are) is because of what I envisioned my use of it. Many of you moms or soon to be mom’s will understand what I mean when you start or have gone stroller and car seat shopping. See I found that the lighter in weight you go with a stroller you loose the solid control, functionality, and sturdiness of the stroller to be able to use it with confidence and security for the safety of your child. I knew I wanted a stroller that had a semi-universal use (aka-meaning that if I didn’t buy, more like couldn’t afford the Uppababy car seat) any car seat brand would be able to attach the (whatever brand) stroller I was/would be buying. I knew I wanted my stroller to have enough “cargo” space for anything I was carrying for the baby (future baby’s) but that I wouldn’t have to worry so much about tipping over if too heavy, or when ever I move the baby/s around. I also knew I wanted to have the possibility of a dual function stroller should there ever be twins in my future or the possibility of close aged children to where the stroller could handle and have more than one child’s seat attached. Don’t get me wrong there are some nice ones out there but the ease and functionality of the multiple seats and the use of those seat locations is wonderful on the Uppababy stroller. The stroller needed to also not be so bulky for the ease of traveling whether by care or flights, but most especially when it came to sitting in a restaurant. Have you never paid attention to how annoying some of those strollers can be when you’re having lunch/dinner in a restaurant (its even more annoying when you’re passing a large party). I also mainly wanted to ensure that the stroller purchase could be an investment to be used (if taken care of correctly) for more children in the future. 

You may be asking then why do their stroller cost so much? Simply put, because it includes more than just the stroller that’s why. It folds down to a nice size, with an attachment stroller seat, and a bassinet. Don’t worry I’ll do a break down of the items with their pros and cons, especially since I used them all for both my kids.

The car seat:

This is unfortunately not part of the stroller purchase and is a separate item. The car seat is secured into the base that has both the two latched to attach to the car seat “handles” that are usually hidden at the transition from the back of the seat to the actual seat of the back row. Then you are supposed to “snap lock” in place as well, the vehicles seat belt. The base has a special “lock” function for safety for the baby being in the car seat. It’s rear facing and has breathable (but a little warm for the TX heat) fabric lining. When you “unlock” the car seat it connects to the stroller. It’s not without some effort but because of how secure the car seat “locks” onto the stroller I was perfectly alright with a little effort being put into the placement of the car seat on the stroller. The best part was depending on the circumstance you can easily rotate the car seat to go from rear facing to forward facing on the stroller itself.

The stroller seat attachment:

AKA-this is known as the “toddler seat” for the Uppababy product line. This comes with the stroller purchase and also has the special “locking” mechanisms to secure the seat on the stroller. This item can also be forward or rear facing when attached to the stroller. There’s also a unique attachment (not included that will requires to be purchased separately to use) to adjust the “height location” of where the placement of the seat is on the stroller; another-wards, if there is a need for the seat to be higher to accommodate more cargo at the bottom of the stroller, this is one way to adjust it’s location. If you aren’t wanting to attach car seats and only use this seat on the stroller (because you can keep this seat attached on the stroller and have it still “fold” easily) then you would purchase separately the “inserts” for the premie baby and/or the newborn “insert”. One of the best parts of this piece on the stroller is that it can have the baby/toddler sitting up right with their legs at a perfect 90degree angle from their torso or they could be at almost a complete horizontal position for if the baby/toddler fell asleep. So imagine more peaceful and longer walks or adventures and outings where you wouldn’t have to concern yourself with if the baby/toddler was ok and comfortable and they rested with ease.

The bassinet attachment: 

I have to admit when my mom and sister were explaining to me that the bassinet would help, all I saw (more like foresaw) was that I was going to have double work on the exiting and entering of the vehicle with the baby. Well looking back even to this day it’s still one of the best purchases I ever made. The bassinet “locks” into the stroller just like the toddler seat ad car seat mentioned above. Also with the same capabilities of the other two attachment items, you could have the bassinet facing forward or rear-facing from where the stroller handle bar is located. Believe me, I was in a similar disbelief of how convenient and how much of a life save this little item was as a first time mother. Why do you ask? Let me see if I can paint you a picture…

Imagine that you feel confidant in the routine you and your baby have accomplished and you’re feeling a little adventurous into going out. Perhaps its a nice evening dinner with either your family or significant other/husband/fiancé/baby daddy is in order or maybe its both altogether. Anyone would simply just keep the baby in the car seat and have the car seat taking up a chair space at the table, whether by placing the car seat on the reverse end of a high chair or if the restaurant has the car seat sling or you’re simply putting the car seat on one of the table chairs and have the baby facing you. The fact remains that after a while the baby is going to get either hungry (in turn wanting to be adjusted in the seat or want out to be breastfed) or fussy because they’ve been in the car seat for too long. If you’re not wanting the baby to get used to being arm held all the time then it could cause some anxiety especially in the restaurant where all eyes and ears are at attention to your baby crying/fussing or point blank you’re wanting to just have an adult moment while having your child with you and eat in a somewhat peaceful manner. Another aspect of all this is that you can’t just lug around the car seat to change the baby’s diaper-especially when they’re deep asleep and you realize while you’re eating that they need changing! So hopefully I’ve painted somewhat of a setting and circumstantial outing. Now take all that information/scenario and incorporate the Uppababy stroller with the bassinet; here comes my personal story.

This is exactly what I would do and I enjoyed all outings, dinners, and events with my child/children in tow. I would carry over the baby into the bassinet in two different manners: 1)if it was nice weather I would simply have or have someone else already have the bassinet attached to the stroller forward facing (to make it easier to carry out of the car seat in the car to have the baby layout in the bassinet or 2)if it was cooler or cold weather/raining outside then I would ask someone to give me the bassinet, which I would then place in my lap, then transfer the baby over from the car seat to the bassinet and make sure that they were covered as well as as nice and snuggled so that the cold air wouldn’t hit them directly. Side note, the lining of the bassinet is wonderfully made to be breathable and yet especially warm for the cold temperatures. Back to my story now. Stroll into the establishment for the meal/event and if it’s a restaurant then I make sure to inform the host that they can remove one chair from the table because the stroller will take up the same amount of room that the chair they’re removing did. I remember getting so many looks of disbelief but they would still do as asked. If I entered the establishment with the bassinet opening facing the stroller handle bar then once I would be seated somewhere I would rotate (with baby still inside) the bassinet to have it forward facing. Then simply check on the baby and adjust if necessary, then push in the bassinet underneath the table (again as if it was a chair being pushed to the table). Keeping the baby around the noise of family members voices and sounds; this was especially nice when the baby was older and trying to sit up/sitting up already, because I felt secure in their area always being clean and they could easily entertain themselves with toys in their bassinet while still being a part of the table and not in those uncomfortable high chairs or having to deal with all the additional pieces of putting on the high chair for the comfort and entertainment of the baby. My favorite part (as odd as these two next parts sound) was never having to leave the table unless it was literally to use the restroom myself because yes there’s that much possible privacy in changing your baby in the bassinet as well as having them nap right after feeding! So you wouldn’t have to ruin the meal/event and feel pressured to hurry up and get out because of the baby. In turn, allowing you to still feel like a human being :p or an adult who is enjoying motherhood.  

Granted some maneuvering and getting used to the products was in order, but for me personally, after about two weeks of use it came in stride and I enjoyed every minute out when I was out. Reselling has it’s value to if you would like to know…So that’s my schpeel and hope this helps in your future children plan/budgeting.  

Sincerely,

A Distinct Female

Old vs. New TV & Movies - Society/World

Looking back on when COVID began escalating and mandates were in place for everyone to be home, why didn’t the internet crash or why wasn’t there some global/national ordeal when it came to internet access and streaming? Or did I miss something? Am I the only one asking that question while scratching their head? Maybe…ok I shall digress with my opener squirrel moment.

Actually I suppose in a way my squirrel thought does tie into my topic. It’s amazing how many streaming companies/apps are out there instead of using regular cable or satellite now; you have Hulu, Netflix, Peacock, SlingTV, AmazonVideo, Paramount+, Vudu, and those are only to name a few! When the COVID pandemic was in full swing with closures and specific home mandates, with my use of the streaming apps I realized how many more reality shows were in circulation. I honestly don’t know what the appeal is about all these reality TV shows. What is so captivating about these shows; I’m sincerely asking. I personally am not a fan but don’t mean for my comment to insult or state there’s anything wrong with being a fan-if you like reality TV shows then hey whatever floats your boat. As for me, if I want to see some “reality time” I will/would just wait for my entire family to get together and watch the “show” in the room :) It’s quite entertaining what goes on at the table/gathering. 

You’re probably asking yourself or wondering where the point is in my starting my post out this way. So in having more “viewing time on the tube” - side note do people even know or understand what that phrase even means anymore? Well for one thing outside of the reality show’s created, I’ve noticed a slight decline in authentic, original, or newly creative TV shows from over the past-what two to three years. Some cartoons are basically remakes of the old, even some of the old classic shows are trying to make a comeback with a twist of a new script with perhaps original or an extension of old characters…where are the creative writers out there or the shows that intrigue us again! Even some of the new spinoff’s aren’t all that creative unless its (in my personal opinion) some of the most recent new shows such as Mayor of Kingstown, 1883, Yellowstone (which has been doing well with their fan base and seasons), Seal Team (has been going strong even after their transition to only streaming platforms also thanks to its fan base), Ozark, Harlem, Shark Tank (as much of a “reality tv show” as I can get), Restaurant Impossible (a food version of a “reality tv show” as I can get), Chopped (another food version of a “reality tv show” as I can get), Fixer Upper (ok who doesn’t admire and enjoy this home good feeling of a “reality tv show” because there’s no drama involved either), Will & Grace, Sons of Anarchy, Reba, Last Man Standing, Bones, Boston Legal, Suits, Law & Order; Organized Crime (which if you haven’t known already, Wolfe is doing another spinoff I believe from an article that was recently posted after the Super Bowl), The Good Doctor, America’s Book of Secrets, The Tonight Show, and a few others. I was an avid viewer of the show Last Man Standing but when they had a character dynamic change with “Mandy” even for me it’s hard to get back into it, so I resort to their reruns. Nothing against the show it just isn’t the same anymore. Or the best example would the the Nine successful season of FRIENDS, with the attempts of shows thereafter following in a similar pursuit of friendship takes but with a slight change in the plot line (like How I Met Your Mother). The shows I mentioned are just a few to name and I’ll admit some of the shows that I also avidly watch. When these shows aren’t renewed or I’m in that waiting period for the next season, I revert back to reruns of classics like I Dream of Jeanie, Designing Women, The Golden Girls, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and The Cosby Show, and yes FRIENDS can now be considered I think a classic show. For those of you about to say or are thinking, “how can you watch that show after what that man did” please just don’t! Point blank, I watch the show for it’s entertainment and the merit it stood for when it was created not because of the personal history of the one of the main characters. Last I checked, actor/actress who cheat on their wives at still making money from movies they’ve watched, same goes to actors/actresses or even athletes who have been violent publicly or to their significant others and yet are still employed with a fan base. So I digress and move on…

There are very seldom or close to no, cartoons or movies (or even music for that matter) that are new/have their own creative plot line without it being some form of a remake or spin off. Does anyone else see that? Take for example the old Looney Tunes versus the newer version. There are some parents who claim that the old Looney Tunes were rude and inappropriate for kids; if you ask me though after watching five episodes of the new, I felt and thought that the sarcasm and “rudeness” (for example in Daffy Duck’s character) are worse than before and there’s isn’t much left to the interpretation of the children. Disney and Pixar films have continued to do well in their creation of characters and in how the humor for adults is separated out from what the kids focus on.

So what do you think? Would you prefer a good majority of the older shows compared to the newer ones now a days or are you more caught up on the seldom good series created recently OR (yes this is the last “or”) are you just more into the reality tv shows period now? I mean do you remember any of these cartoons in the images below I’ve added on here from google…

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman

I’m Back to Stay - General

Hi there!

I do apologize I haven’t been writing as much as I should it had planned, but to be frank I’ve been juggling a lot of different projects, in addition to life circumstances rearing their ugly heads, etc. 

No worries because I’ve got a lot of upcoming topics lined up, also some challenges for my readers, as well as marking off some things off my to do list! 🤗 Hope you all enjoy the read and the pics posted on the blogs Instagram page!

See you again on here soon!

Sincerely,

A Distinct Woman